NCJ Number
174766
Date Published
1996
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This document describes ways local, State and Federal officials can provide support to the police.
Abstract
Local officials can improve their police departments by: (1) aggressively recruiting police officers from the ranks of the military; (2) improving techniques used to detect and prevent crime; (3) targeting the small number of criminals responsible for most of the serious crime; (4) making salaries commensurate with responsibilities and performance; (5) privatizing and civilianizing non-police administrative functions; (6) promoting community policing; and (7) demanding direct accountability of police commanders in the field. Congress can help by: (8) providing more flexible funding for local law enforcement; (9) reforming criminal procedure; (10) replacing failed federal urban policies with neighborhood empowerment strategies; (11) blocking the appointment of Federal judges who demonstrate an insensitivity to public safety; (12) repealing laws which impinge on the legitimate authority of local and State law enforcement officials; (13) reforming the exclusionary rule; (14) reviewing the impact of the Miranda ruling; and (15) pursuing an innovative empowerment strategy to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods plagued by crime and disorder. Notes, tables